I open at the close
by FandomFantasiser
Summary: Ever wondered how Luna's mother died? Well, this is how I imagined it. Hope you enjoy and please review! I know it's short...it's just a 'short story' :


_**This story was just for a school project, don't expect much:) Hope you enjoy. Any yes, I know the writing isn't that good.**_

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><p>The wind was harsh and the air was humid, crackling the leaves that hung lazily from the trees outside of the Lovegood's house. From a distance, you could swear that the house-which was occupied by a witch, wizard and a witch in the making- was just another rock, quite like the very famous one in Australia. The only difference was the shape and colour. Rather than long, it went up about 20 meters crookedly and jaggedly, with a few windows here and there, before stopping horizontally on a slant, high above the ground.<p>

With each step closer towards this strange house you could start to make out the steps leading to a door and little lights glowing from the different shaped holes. Perhaps they were make-do windows. And if you even had the courage to move closer, you could just make out a freshly planted tree, beside the steps, clearly named 'Dirigible plums'.

The Lovegoods would do many extraordinary things on a daily basis. Mr Lovegood, also known as Xenophilius, was the editor of The Quibbler- a magazine that investigates many weird and crazy things. Sapheltina Lovegood was a magical 'scientist' who was constantly finding odd and imprudent ways to fix problems using new potions and spells. Then, there was Luna. Luna was mostly known for her waist length dirty blonde hair, silver eyes and soft lazy voice, all of which resembled her mothers immensely. Luna was showing more and more signs of magical ability every day. She hadn't yet received a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry inviting her to become a student of magic, but she was sure it would arrive any day now. And no matter what uncles, aunts and friends would say, nothing would stop her believing in her parents' theories and ideas. So it would seem she would follow in her parents' footsteps.

"My little Luna!" Mrs. Lovegood cooed as she entered Luna's bright bedroom, at the top of the house. Luna, who had just woken up, was still drowsy but didn't mind that her mother had disturbed her.

"Dad's just left sweetheart, so I was thinking you could help me with the new spells and potions I have created. Your father doesn't like you being around while I am experimenting in case something goes wrong. But absolutely nothing can go wrong! The potion's effect is nowhere near as powerful casting a spell but, of course, you're too young to know that!"

" Mum, I'm 9 years old. I'm not a child anymore," Luna complained.

"I know! I know! Come on, I've made some bacon and toast, come and have breakfast."

An hour later, when the two of them were stuffed with food, dressed and settled in the lounge room, Mrs. Lovegood got out her cauldron and started putting all sorts or ingredients into it. She let Luna pop in the easy ones.

"You'll really like this one," she kept muttering to herself, "I've been working on it for ages." And when Luna would ask what it was she was making, she would only say, "you'll see, you'll see…"

After about an hour, Luna was getting really fidgeting, and the old chair, which occupied her bottom, was getting itchier and more uncomfortable by the second.

Then, when Luna was about to leave the room, Mrs. Lovegood stood back smiling and exclaimed, "I'm done!"

Luna jumped down from her chair and hurried over to the largest cauldron she had ever seen. Mrs. Lovegood carefully scooped out a vial of potion out and handed it over to her. Cautiously, Luna raised it to her lips and gulped the whole lot.

"Quickly, Luna! Think of a hair colour you would like to have!" Mrs. Lovegood cried.

Ignoring the craziness of the idea, Luna went through all of the colours she thought she might like to try. _Red, _she thought. Her mother's mouth instantly dropped to the floor and grabbed a mirror from the wall and shoved it into Luna's face. Her mouth dropped, too. Luna's hair was blood red, just the colour she wanted. Then, before her eyes, it started to change back to her normal hair colour. Luna's smile faltered.

"What?-"

"Oh, it's only because you drank just a little bit. It wears off quicker that way. Gosh! I can make a fortune with this! 10 galleons for 1 litre_. The only potion to change your features on demand._ Or, I could strengthen it a bit, wouldn't have to make as much. That wouldn't be too bad…" But Luna wasn't listening. She was too busy thinking of how much of a genius her mother was. _My mother, the creator of the first potion that changes your features on demand! _She thought.

Luna made her way over to the ingredients where her mother now stood, putting the lids back on bottles and containers. Luna picked up one of the bottles and accidently knocked over another. In an attempt to catch it before it fell off the table, she bumped her mother with her small head, and Luna dropped the bottle that she was holding.

"LUNA!" her mother shrieked into her ear. "What HAVE YOU DONE?"

_Oh, no_, Luna thought. She had done it this time. She hadn't even made it till midday before she smashed something. Standing up, to face what was coming, she noticed that the entire potion in the cauldron had gone.

"Mother, what happened?" Luna whispered to her mother, who was now silently whimpering.

"I-hic-was vanishing some dirty- hic- cloths when you bumped me. I accidently- hic- vanished the potion!"

"Oh, mother I'm so sorry! Wait, didn't you make a spell that could retrieve vanished items?" Her mother stood up straight.

"You're right," she whispered. "Quick, go get my notebook!"

Luna retrieved the notebook and gave it to her mother. She flicked through the pages until she found the one she wanted and pointed her wand at the cauldron. Luna noticed at the top of the page it said: ONLY FOR SMALL ITEMS. Luna stared at the book, then at the massive cauldron beside her-

"Mum wait!-" Luna exclaimed.

"Retrio Magnethia!" her mother cried.

A split second before the lightning bolt shot through the room, Luna had stepped back, just in case. She saw a blinding flash of golden light, that seared the skin all over her body, and then she was thrown across the room, smashing her head on one of the oddly shaped windows.

Rubble was scattered over her body by the time Luna woke up. She noticed that her skin was burnt and her head ached, but she did not care. She _had_ to see her mother.

She looked around and didn't see her in the room.

She wasn't downstairs in the kitchen. Not in the bathroom. Not in the bedrooms.

Outside was her last hope, so Luna bolted to the first window she found (in her bedroom) to see if her mother was down by the lake, fishing for plimpies, or sitting on the steps, waiting for her father to come back. Trying hard not to collapse and give up in a fit of tears, she squinted into the far distance to see if it was her mother who had moved a tree in the forest. No, the creature revealed itself and it resembled something like a black horse with wings.

That was it. Her mother had vanished, along with that spell. And it was all her fault. She had knocked over the ingredients and sent her mother to use that spell. All. Her. Fault.

The tears started now, trickling slowly down her cheeks.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! Please review!<strong>


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